This invention relates to apparatus and methods for cooling electronic devices, such as, for example, heat sinks having a thermal interface for cooling electronic devices.
Some known electronic devices are manufactured according to industry standards that specify the size, shape, form factor and/or electronic performance of the electronic device. The use of such standards allows similar electronic devices produced by different manufacturers to be used interchangeably within a data processing unit (e.g., a router, a switch, a server and/or the like). Because the size, shape and/or form factor of such known electronic devices are dictated by such industry standards, in certain instances there can be limited flexibility to change the design of electronic device to improve heat dissipation, increase power levels or the like. Accordingly, some known data processing units include heat sinks and/or other ancillary devices to improve the overall performance of such electronic devices.
For example, some known optical transceivers are manufactured according to an industry standard known as the Small Form-factor Pluggable (SFP) standard. Optical transceivers manufactured according to the SFP standard are configured to be “pluggable” such that the optical transceiver can be inserted and/or removed from the host data processing unit without removing power from the unit. Some such optical transceivers are installed inside of the host data processing unit within a protective cage or enclosure that includes a heat sink to dissipate heat from the optical transceiver. Because such known optical transceivers are configured to be inserted into and/or removed from the host data processing unit, such known heat sinks can be spring-mounted to the cage such that at least a portion of the heat sink is in contact with the optical transceiver after installation.
The interface between such known heat sinks and electronic devices can be compromised, however, by misalignment of the heat sink and/or the electronic device, surface roughness on the mating surfaces and/or the like, thereby reducing the heat transfer between the heat sink and the electronic device. Moreover, contact between the heat sink and the electronic device when the electronic device is being inserted into the cage can result frictional forces that inhibit the insertion into and/or removal of the electronic device from the cage.
Thus, a need exists for improved apparatus and methods for apparatus and methods for cooling electronic devices.